Legacy
Community Hospital Foundation
Volume 7, Issue 2
n
Winter 2013
Making a Tangible Difference
Bertie and David Elliott invest in their community
In this issue
Message from Community
Hospital Foundation’s
Chief Development Officer
page 2
...........................
Trustee Profile:
John Mahoney
page 2
...........................
The Auxiliary Pledges
$1Million . . . Again
page 3
...........................
Home is Where the Heart is
page 4
...........................
For Art’s Sake
page 5
...........................
Pinnacle of Excellence Awards:
Paying Forward and Giving Back
page 6
The staff makes the IRU work, say Bertie and David Elliott, pictured with some of the IRU staff, (left to right) Sarah Ramer, physical therapist, the
Elliotts, Ricky Andam, RN, Laddie Erbele, speech and language pathologist, Kathryn Canfield, occupational therapist, and Mario Ruiz, IRU director.
W
hether or not it was love
at first sight, she was
definitely smitten with the
handsome young man who
came into her life like a graduation present
through mutual friends. She had just
graduated from Northwestern University
in Evanston, Illinois. He had finished at
Harvard Business School, and both were
working in Chicago. They dated throughout
the summer and fall of ’54, but by January
of ’55, he had been drafted into the Army,
and she didn’t see him again.
Until 2007, when the two were reunited
by another mutual friend. In the meantime, the pair had gone their separate
ways and led interesting lives for
more than 50 years, at which point,
both were widowed. They spent a year
renewing their friendship and then,
in 2008, they wed.
David Elliott, who has spent most of his
life in the San Francisco Bay Area, has
lived on the Monterey Peninsula for six
years, having moved for what he calls
one very persuasive reason: his wife,
Bertie Bialek Elliott.
Bertie moved to the Peninsula in 1963,
one year after Community Hospital
moved to its present location on the
hill overlooking the bay. For the past
50 years, she has been a devoted friend,
champion, volunteer, and supporter of
the hospital.
“My connection to the hospital definitely
goes back a long way,” says Bertie.
“I was a CHOMP board member from
1996 to 2002, and I worked on the
campaigns for the Comprehensive
Cancer Center and for the Pavilions
Project. For quite awhile, I have been
a member of the Women’s Forum
for Health Committee, and I am on the
Foundation Advisory Board.
“One of the things I’ve always loved
about working on behalf of the hospital
is that it’s about the only thing I can
think of that touches virtually everyone’s
life on the Monterey Peninsula, if not as
a patient, then for family or friends. It is
an easy thing to be excited about and
try to raise money for, as it really serves
the whole community.”
C O M M UN I T Y H O S P I T A L F O UN D A T I O N
n
Ever since David moved to Carmel,
the couple has joined forces in their
philanthropic investments. Most recently,
the Elliotts began discussing their desire
to make a major gift to the hospital.
They met with hospital CEO Dr. Steven
Packer to explore options that would
have a significant impact on community
health and wellness.
“I admire Steve and what he’s done
since he joined the hospital as CEO. I
actually knew him before he took the
job,” says Bertie, “because he was on
the Board of Trustees when I was. I’ve
always been impressed by his capacity
to build major projects and run the
whole hospital at the same time.
He has a very large grasp of the whole
picture, both nationally and locally,
and he understands where we should
be going in terms of healthcare.”
Among various conversations and
considerations, Packer introduced the
idea of contributing to a new Inpatient
Rehabilitation Unit (IRU).
...........................
Women’s Forum for Health . . .
Thinking Ahead
Foundation Advisory Board
page 7
...........................
Events and Fundraisers
page 8
Save the date
Community
Hospital
Foundation
Annual Meeting
January 23
Speaker: Leon Panetta
Call 625-4506 for reservations.
Seating is imited.
See Making a Tangible Difference . . . page 4
(831) 625-4506
n
www.chompfoundation.org
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
2
from comm u n i t y
trustee Profile
Ho s pi t al fo u n da t io n ’ s
c h i e f d e v e lopm e n t
offic e R
A l b e r t J . A lv a r e z
T
his time of year, when the days become shorter and the
nights colder, I am always more keenly aware of an upwelling
of gratitude. Perhaps it is the spirit of the season, this waning
time of year, when we take a moment to pause and reflect
on the blessings of an organization like Community Hospital in
our midst, and the exceptional generosity of all who contribute
to its growth and stability.
In this rapidly changing healthcare environment, our need
for philanthropy has never been greater. Nor more deeply
appreciated. The response of the giving community throughout
the Monterey Peninsula continues to be an essential element
in our long-range view of a healthy future.
From your support of our new programs such as the Inpatient
Rehabilitation Unit, which opened to immediate patient need
in September, to your support of our more established but
continually evolving programs such as the Comprehensive
Cancer Center and Tyler Heart Institute, the response of this
community continues to be robust and deeply appreciated by
all who are associated with Community Hospital.
Understanding that Community Hospital is an integral part
of the community infrastructure, we are cognizant of our
responsibility and our mission to give care to everybody in
need, to the best of our ability, and we will continue to do
so despite any uncertainty of funding.
For more than 80 years, this hospital has been a hub of the
community. Yes, it is a place to get well, but it is also a place
to learn about healthy lifestyles, break for coffee or lunch, view
art, browse in the gift shop, and run into friends and neighbors.
Albert J. Alvarez, Chief Development Officer
Community Hospital Foundation
Community Hospital Foundation
40 Ryan Court, Suite 200, Monterey, California 93940
Board of Trustees
Development Staff
Frank C. Amato
Mary Castagna, Auxiliary President
Donald G. Goldman, MD
Glen Hiner
Scott G. Kantor, MD, Chief of Staff
Robert Kavner, Chair
William W. Lewis
Michael Lyon
John H. Mahoney, Vice Chair
Fred O’Such
Steven Packer, MD, President/CEO
Jane Panattoni
Shelley Post, Secretary
Stephen Schulte
Patrick L. Welton, MD
Phillip Wilhelm
Albert J. Alvarez,
Chief Development Officer
Carol Blaushild, Administrative Specialist
Maria Corn, Data Entry
Landau Davidson, Systems Analyst
May Esquerra, Advancement
Records and Research Assistant
Valerie Guthrie, Senior Development Officer
Martha Kennifer, RN, Nurse Liaison
Janet Rappa, Administrative Specialist
Robin Venuti, Senior Development Officer
Jennifer Wood,
Senior Development Officer
Michele Melicia Young,
Senior Development Officer
John ney
Maho
Community Contribution
A conversation with Community
Hospital Trustee John Mahoney
Community Hospital Board of Trustees
member John Mahoney has lived on the
Monterey Peninsula for 38 years. He was
born in Berkeley, spent several years of
his childhood on the Peninsula while
his father was overseas in the Navy, and
then moved with his family to Petaluma.
A fascination for business led him to
UC Berkeley and a degree in business
administration. His career began with the
U.S. Steel Corporation in San Francisco,
followed by a decade in St. Louis, before
he returned to San Francisco and went
into commercial real estate through
Grubb & Ellis. A management position
took him to Los Angeles, but he ultimately
brought his business and his family back
to the Peninsula, where he founded
Mahoney & Associates, a commercial real
estate firm. Following is an excerpt from
a conversation with Mahoney about his
experiences and his time on the board.
What brought you to
the Peninsula?
Not only was I already familiar with
the Peninsula from my childhood, but
my mother was living here. In leaving
Los Angeles, I sought an environment
that would be ideal for raising my family.
I certainly understood that the quality
of life and scenic setting in this area are
pretty much unmatched anywhere else.
This was a great place to raise a family
and, with six of my nine grandchildren
here, I know it still is.
How have you come to know
Community Hospital?
I first got to know the hospital when
Tom Tonkin was at the helm. I had the
opportunity to work with him on behalf
of a commercial real estate project, and
my relationship with the hospital evolved
from there, continuing when Jay Hudson
became CEO. Jay had been an acquaintance of mine back in my UC Berkeley
days, and he became a good friend
after we settled here. Of course, family
members and I have been in and out of
Community Hospital, receiving excellent
care as patients a time or two, particularly
in the Emergency room. I joined the Board
of Trustees in January 2011. I consider
it a privilege to have the opportunity to
work with such a superb organization.
What has been the most
rewarding part of your
experience in serving as
a volunteer on the board?
Just being able to volunteer my time
for this organization has been rewarding,
and the experience of working with such
an outstanding, extremely competent and
forward-thinking administration has truly
been most rewarding. Also, to be working
with so many very talented, capable,
and bright people on the board has been
inspiring. It has been a little challenging
at times — this is a very interesting
time in the healthcare industry — but
I’m always up for a good challenge.
What do you value in life?
This I can answer easily and quite simply.
I most value my family; we have four
children and nine grandchildren. Anything
we can do to enhance their quality of life,
I’m on board. Community Hospital plays
a part in that for all of us.
What are some of your
outside interests?
Our outside interests primarily involve
travel, both internationally and across the
country. We’ve had the pleasure of taking
family with us from time to time, creating
some really memorable trips. In addition to travel, an important part of our
involvement in the community has been
our philanthropic interests in various
organizations, particularly Community
Hospital.
What do you hope and envision
for the hospital during the next
5 years?
Among all the details it takes to make
this happen, my greatest hope for
the hospital going forward is for it to
continue its excellence in serving our
community. I understand how blessed
we are to live in this place, in the care
of this hospital.
See Trustee Profile . . . page 5
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
3
The Auxiliary Pledges $1 Million . . . Again
F
ounded in December 1955 by a
dedicated group of local women,
the Auxiliary was established to
promote volunteerism and support
the health and well being of their
community by serving its community
hospital. The group’s first goal was to
equip and staff a mobile library and the
reception desk at the hospital.
Fifty-eight years later, nearly 500 members,
among them men, 100 collegiate, and
100 high school volunteers, provide
services in 15 areas of the hospital,
including two offsite centers, the Carol
Hatton Breast Care Center and the Blood
Center. The Auxiliary’s ongoing mission is
to enhance the quality of hospital service
by attending to the comfort, care, and
well being of patients and their families,
visitors, hospital staff, and the community.
“We are primarily a service organization,
but we also raise funds for the hospital,”
says Mary Castagna, Auxiliary president.
“Through proceeds from Comforts gift
shop and the Fountain Court Café, along
with donations from Friends of the
Auxiliary, our Auxiliary dues, and proceeds
from the annual Pebble Beach Concours
d’Elegance car drawing, we generate a
considerable amount of revenue to return
to the hospital.”
Indeed. The Auxiliary gives $300,000 in
annual scholarships from an endowment
to students attending CSU Monterey Bay,
the Maurine Church Coburn School of
Nursing at Monterey Peninsula College,
and other health career education
programs. In addition, the Auxiliary has
just made its second $1 million pledge
to Community Hospital, which will be
allocated at $200,000 per year for the
next five years.
“In the past,” says Castagna, “we have
funded equipment for Tyler Heart Institute
and the Carol Hatton Breast Care Center.
We also have made gifts toward the
bloodmobile and the Diabetes Initiative
education program. This year we will
support NICHE, which stands for Nurses
Improving Care of Healthsystem Elders.
This special program trains nurses to
effectively address the particular healthcare needs of our over-65 population.”
The Auxiliary’s contribution to the
hospital goes way beyond fundraising.
As of September 30, members had
provided 61,435 hours of volunteer
service so far this year.
“We have members who have been
with us for more than 40 years, as well
as brand new people,” says Castagna.
“We offer monthly orientations, where
potential members can learn about the
organization and the service requirements. Whether they want to use a
special talent, ‘give back’ in appreciation
of care of a loved one, or just want to
experience worthwhile volunteer service,
Pym Gilbert, 36-year Auxiliary volunteer, assists a hospital visitor at the rception desk.
we can help them determine which
assignment appeals to their individual
situation. We emphasize that even
though this is a volunteer position,
it is a serious commitment. Patients,
hospital staff, and families depend on
our regular service.”
Services throughout the hospital include
staffing the reception desk, taking
patients to their cars upon discharge,
delivering flowers, escorting visitors
throughout the hospital, delivering lab
samples, and providing information.
Auxiliary members volunteer in inpatient
and outpatient surgery areas, the
Intensive Care Unit, and Emergency
department, where they work closely
with patients and their families, doctors,
and nurses to ensure that loved ones
receive timely information about their
patient’s condition. At Tyler Heart
Institute, volunteers staff the reception
desk, greeting people who come in for
cardiac tests and procedures.
The Auxiliary also provides a news/
magazine service, in which each patient
receives the morning newspaper and
can select magazines from a cart that
circulates to patient rooms and waiting
areas. In addition, the Auxiliary provides
a Telecare service, in which house-bound
members of the community receive a
“good morning” call to see how they’re
doing. Sometimes, says Castagna, it is
the only call they receive during the day.
The Comforts gift shop and the Fountain
Court Café are popular assignments for
volunteers of all ages.
Collegiate volunteeer, Nissa Fuller, in the Fountain Court Café.
“We also have two new service areas,”
Castagna says. “In the oncology
inpatient unit, we do comfort rounds
with patients. Sometimes people just
need to talk. Also, in the Emergency
department, where we already had a
volunteer in triage who greets incoming
patients, we now have ‘back-of-thehouse’ volunteers who serve as liaisons
among staff, patients, and family
members to provide information,
blankets, or other comforts. This is a very
popular service among our collegiate
volunteers, many of whom are studying
toward medical careers.”
Finally, the Auxiliary office staff are
the valuable volunteers who provide
administrative support and facilitate
communication between service leaders
and line volunteers.
See The Auxilariary Pledges . . . page 5
4
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
Home is Where the Heart is
W
hen the dining room
stopped serving bananas
in the morning, John
Johnson, 88, took matters
into his own hands. After hand-painting
banana flash cards, he distributed them
to fellow residents, suggesting anyone
who wanted a banana place it on
their breakfast table as a silent request.
Bananas were quickly returned to
the menu.
Unless, thought John, they donated the
property to a nonprofit organization. If
they set up a charitable gift annuity,
John realized, they could enjoy a partial
tax deduction and receive an annual
income stream for the remainder of their
lives. The organization ultimately would
keep the gift, and negotiate its sale.
It was the kind of friendly interaction
among residents and staff that John
enjoys about living at the Park Lane
retirement residence in Monterey.
Nearly 15 years ago, Jennifer fell and
broke her hip. While recuperating from
surgery at Westland House, she had
trouble reaching her husband by phone.
A concerted investigation revealed that
he was home, lying on the floor with
a bleeding kidney and blinding pain.
When he woke up at Community Hospital,
he found it so comfortable and quiet,
he knew he had made it to heaven.
John and Jennifer, his wife of nearly
55 years, were born and raised in
Germany, lived in New York and
purchased a home in Pebble Beach in
1980 when they retired. Two years ago,
they contemplated simplifying their lives
by moving to Park Lane. There, they
could eat well without having to cook,
they could exercise without leaving the
building, they could socialize without
going out, and they would be able to
better manage a smaller home. But first
they would have to sell their house.
All they had to do was choose a worthy
recipient.
Two years ago, Jennifer fell again, this
time, breaking her patella. While she
was recovering at Westland House,
John suffered a hernia and returned to
the place he had come to call paradise.
John and Jennifer Johnson.
“We chose to donate our house to
the Community Hospital Foundation
because they were so nice to save my
life,” John says. “They gave us four
months to get our house cleared out,
but we had everything organized,
boxed, and out by the end of the
week. We didn’t have to advertise our
house or deal with open houses; they
sold it for us. If you invest and protect
your money, it pays to get old.” What is your impression of the
new IRU?
What is your sense of Community
Hospital?
Bertie: I have had two tours of the IRU.
It is an impressive place, and we’re happy
to be part of it. The goal of the IRU is
to help people who had a catastrophic
event that interferes with their functioning, so they can go home again, feeling
and functioning well at whatever level is
possible. We find it very rewarding to give
money and have it attached to something
specific like this. It is a pleasure to think
about our gift going to something we can
identify with, which creates a tangible
association. We can imagine making a
difference because we’ve seen it. I’m so
happy to know our gift has gone toward
that unit.
David: I was in the hospital recently for
three nights, as a healthy patient starting
a new medication. I spent a fair amount
of time talking with staff. The question
I asked everyone was, “What do you like
most about working here?” Invariably
the answer was, “the other staff I’m
working with.” This is a clear reflection
of how the hospital is being managed.
Making a Tangible Difference . . . from front page
The impetus for the unit was a
demonstrated need for rehabilitation
services, provided through a collaboration of medical disciplines, to help
restore patients dealing with neurological
issues such as stroke and traumatic
brain injuries, as well as multiple trauma,
non-traumatic spinal cord injury, loss of
limbs, and other debilitating diagnoses.
“We respect and trust Steve Packer’s
recommendations,” says David. “I’ve
met a lot of chief executive officers, and
he’s a standout. He’s visionary, and we
wanted to be part of that vision. Steve
has done a superb job of leading and of
setting an example to everyone throughout the hospital. Each, in turn, helps
extend his reach, his vision for health
and wellness, out into the community.”
Ultimately the Elliotts made their gift
substantial enough to fund the entire
13-bed IRU, which opened in September.
“We got really excited about supporting
the IRU,” says Bertie. “Before, patients
had to go out of town to get this kind
of rehabilitative care. To understand
the need and bring this service to our
hospital is exceptional. And the people
recruited to run the unit are outstanding.
We have toured the IRU and the physical
set up is wonderful. I love that it’s facing
south and gets all the sun. We walked
right out into the garden. It has made
us both very happy to give money to
support such an important and positive,
upbeat place.”
Following is an excerpt of a
conversation with the Elliotts
regarding their connection to
Community Hospital.
How did you make your decision to
give a gift that would fund the IRU?
David: Bertie has been a philanthropist
for many years. She is very intelligent
and thoughtful about her philanthropy,
and as every day goes by, she becomes
more so. She wants to make wise
investments, deliberately and thoughtfully, and she sees her support of the
IRU as an investment in the future. By
background, she also is firmly rooted in
modesty. Neither of us is motivated by
accolade; it’s about making a difference
in our community.
Bertie: We wanted to make a gift
to the IRU because we’re able to,
and because it’s a wonderful thing to
support. I’ve been involved in a lot of
things in this community, but I’m close
to the hospital. I trust the organization;
it’s an institution that reaches virtually
everyone. If I’m going to support
something, I want to do so in a tangible
way and to encourage others to do the
same. I want to support Steven Packer
in a way that gives him a wonderful vote
of confidence and lets him know people
believe in him and what he’s doing.
If he is behind the IRU, then so am I.
David: When we went to the IRU
to have our picture taken, we felt the
most important photograph would
include as many staff members as
could conveniently join us. We want to
emphasize that this is not something
we’re doing for the hospital but with
the hospital on behalf of the community.
We are endorsing the unit, but it is the
staff, led by Director Mario Ruiz and
Dr. Jihad Jaffer, that makes it work.
In addition, if you see Community Hospital
Laboratory Services and Peninsula
Primary Care at The Crossroads Shopping
Center in Carmel, if you visit Peninsula
Wellness Center in Marina, or get over to
the facilities at Ryan Ranch in Monterey,
you realize Community Hospital is much
more than one physical hospital. It is
extended and immersed in the community
in new ways, and is performing a broader
kind of service than the old hospital
mentality. Steve is driving this with his
vision to be ahead of the curve.
Bertie: I am intrigued by the emphasis
on wellness the hospital is pursuing,
which Steve Packer says is the wave of the
future. The goal is to try to keep people
well, not just treating patients when they
become really sick, but providing things
that help people be healthy. This is a really
positive thing. We are so fortunate to
have such a wonderful place right here in
our community. It is ours to develop, to
protect, and to benefit from.
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
Supporting Interns For Art’s Sake
F
or Bob and Leslie Mulford, family
is family, in sickness and in health.
Which is why, when Bob’s former
wife Marti fell ill, Leslie urged Bob
to go to Sacramento to help her.
For two weeks, Bob remained at Marti’s
bedside, providing advocacy and care.
And then, unexpectedly, she died. She
was 68.
“I had known Marti since she was 16,”
says Bob. “She was gone too soon. But
I also knew she was too independent
for the recovery process she would have
faced. Marti left Community Hospital a
generous bequest and left me with her
dog, her house, and the responsibility
of her estate as her executor.”
Bob found a home for the dog with his
nephew in Carmel Valley, and sold the
house within weeks. Marti’s estate took
a little more time, but Bob knew she
would want careful consideration in
establishing a legacy that would benefit
young people and art.
“Marti was a ceramic artist, whose work
was widely collected,” says Bob. “She
had her own studio at home, with a huge
kiln we donated to Monterey Peninsula
College, where she had spent a lot of
time as a student and teaching assistant.
She also had spent time at Community
Hospital as a patient.”
Bob met with Dr. Steven Packer,
Community Hospital’s president and
CEO, and Al Alvarez, chief development
officer, to determine an appropriate gift
to the hospital.
“You know gentlemen,” he told them,
“one thing that always impressed Marti
and me at Community Hospital is the art.
It is so soothing and beautiful, and it has
affected us both.”
feels for everyone is undeniable. The
satisfaction of this service really drives
these students’ efforts.”
5
Trustee Profile . . . from page 2
What would you say to other
people about getting involved
in the hospital?
I would tell anyone, if you can create the
opportunity, or it presents itself for you
to get involved in giving to the hospital
in any way, it would give you a great
sense of satisfaction and fulfillment.
Bob had an idea.
“After thoughtful discussion we
established the Marti Mulford Art
Internship Fund, a scholarship fund in
Marti’s memory, to support these
students’ efforts and experiences at
Community Hospital,” he says. “Al
Alvarez showed us how, and these
interns are putting it to good use.”
Art interns learn to catalog artwork
when it comes in from donors and to
wrap art objects for transit. They
participate in security-mount installations
and work with ancillary professionals,
including framers and conservators,
gaining experience in those specialty
careers as well.
The quality of the facility and staff is
acknowledged often. What I find notable
is the outpouring of community support.
This is our local hospital, and that understanding is evidenced by exceptional
community support.
“
“Our interns work with such a wide
range of objects,” says Essick, “from
framed photos to 7-foot framed
paintings to sculpture. They really get a
diversity of experience with different
media. To us, these students offer a really
fresh perspective. I encourage them to
collaborate and creatively problem-solve,
which is always important with such
unique art. In sharing this with Bob, I
think it really opened his eyes to the
impact of our art collection, while
making the interns step back and think
about what they’re learning.”
Marti Mulford as a young woman.
. . . “one thing that
always impressed Marti
and me at Community
Hospital is the art.
It is so soothing and
”
beautiful, and it has
affected us both.
Bob Mulford
The Auxiliary Pledges $1 Million
. . . Again from page 3
“After seven years in the Auxiliary, I
consider myself a ‘sophomore,’ still
relatively new,” Castagna says. “We have
a lot of ‘seniors’ here, and I value their
wisdom, experience, and institutional
memory. We are a traditional organization,
yet always work in partnership with the
hospital to rise to the challenges and
changes in healthcare. Our ‘freshmen,’
‘sophomores,’ ‘juniors,’ and ‘seniors’ are
a dedicated and hard-working group.”
For a visual reminder of Auxiliary
presence and impact this season, visit the
hospital during the holidays to experience
the beauty of 19 living evergreen trees,
exquisitely decorated and placed
throughout the hospital. Delivered from
a local tree farm, each tree is adorned
in a special theme by volunteers who slip
in like elves to conjure a little magic.
“Most important,” says Castagna, “is
helping people feel better. We like to
say, ‘If you see someone without a smile,
give them one of yours.’ A warm smile
to someone in the corridor can make a
difference in their day.”
They suggested that Bob meet with art
curator Amy Essick. “Any hospital that
has a full-time curator,” says Bob “has a
significant amount of very special art.”
Essick invited Bob to the hospital while
some art was being installed. They talked
about art and its impact on healing. She
introduced him to the paid art internship
program she started in 2005, and to
her three interns, who showed him their
projects. She explained how each young
art student was working to balance
school, work, and family while learning
about a significant art career outside
the studio.
“Our mission is to create an uplifting
environment with art for our patients,
their families, and our staff,” Essick says.
“Every time we go into a new nursing
unit, waiting area, or exam room without
art, and we place an appropriate painting,
photograph, or sculpture, it comes alive.
The positive difference in how the space
Auxiliary volunteer, Roxanne Wilde, offers
gift wrapping at the hospital for patients
and visitors during the holiday season.
Art interns (left to right) Keith Damron, Aleks Jagodkin, Sean Browne, and Tim Rossi
assist Fred Saunders, Sculptureworks (center), while installing the Rodney Winfield
sculptural door in the Cancer Center, given by the Winfield Family.
Happy
Holidays
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
6
Pinnacle of Excellence Awards
S
ince its inception, Community
Hospital of the Monterey
Peninsula has been supported
and developed by the
generous and forward-thinking members
of its community, who both need and
sustain it. Such commitment has created
the cornerstone, laid the foundation,
and framed the future of Community
Hospital. It also is the inspiration behind
Community Hospital Foundation’s
Pinnacle of Excellence awards.
On September 19, the foundation
hosted its 5th Pinnacle Dinner,
designed to recognize special donors
for their significant contributions to
the vision and progress of Community
Hospital. The 2013 honorees are Gail
and Jim Griggs, Ian Arnof, and Debra
and George Couch.
“All of our honorees are former hospital
trustees, which is not coincidental,”
says CEO Dr. Steven Packer. “People
who serve on the board have a deep
understanding of the complexity of
the hospital, having seen some of the
difficult issues as we address changes in
the healthcare needs of our community.
These are donors who understand that
bringing guidance and great counsel
to the hospital is very important.
They also understand the importance
of philanthropy.”
Gail and
Jim Griggs
Ian
Arnof
Debra and
George Couch
“I was born in South Dakota; I’m a
‘Grapes of Wrath’ baby,” says Jim Griggs,
who shares the award with wife Gail.
“My dad sold land for 50 cents an acre
to buy gas to come out to California,
where we lived in a two-room tarpaper
shack in the middle of a vineyard. We
never considered ourselves poor.”
Ian Arnof grew up in McCrory, Arkansas,
population 1,100, where he learned that
if you want a small town to be better,
everybody’s got to participate.
George Couch has had a long association with the Monterey Peninsula. After
graduating with a degree in business
from Stanford University, followed by
a graduate degree at Harvard Business
School, he followed his father’s career
as an executive with Anheuser-Busch and
established Couch Distributing Company,
now the largest beverage distributor on
the Central Coast.
Gail was raised by a strong principled
mother. It was from her mother, a
teacher, she learned the importance
of contribution. “Mother always told
me that doing your part is not good
enough,” says Gail. “You have
to do your part and a little more.”
As a child, Jim came to the Peninsula
once a year — his mother liked to drive
down 17-Mile Drive — and they stayed
on the beach because they couldn’t
afford a hotel. A scholarship led him
to UC Berkeley, where he graduated
with a degree in real estate finance,
and then pursued a career in mortgage
lending and banking. He and Gail raised
four children in Sacramento before
returning to his childhood haunt and
their frequent vacation spot, Pebble
Beach, nearly 40 years ago. Eight years
ago, Jim joined the Board of Trustees.
“Community Hospital does a marvelous
job,” says Jim, “and all the things it does
are felt throughout the community.
People need to donate money and time.
The volunteer corps is magnificent – all
people of all ages. That’s what makes
this such a great community hospital.
Everybody in the community needs to
know there’s a spot for them to do
something there.”
A graduate of Vanderbilt University and
Harvard Business School, Arnof moved
to Memphis, and eventually become
president and CEO of the state’s largest
bank. In 2000, he moved to Carmel,
where he “didn’t know a soul.” That
changed after he fell and injured
his knee and spent an extended period
in Community Hospital.
“I thought of how in Memphis, as
head of a bank, I would have gotten
VIP treatment,” says Arnof. Without that
connection, he feared a bad experience.
“Yet I was terribly impressed by how
personal the service was.” He later met
Steve Packer and told him, ‘If there is
anything I can do to be helpful, just pick
up the phone, and I’ll pay you back.’ ”
Arnof meets many people who, like him,
retired here from elsewhere. Many of
those he has approached about making
a donation to Community Hospital have
said that their loyalties lie elsewhere.
“I tell people, ‘When you have your heart
attack in the middle of the night, tell the
ambulance driver to take you to [your
hometown],’” he says. “You want to be
loyal to the place you come from, but
you’ve got to remember that here is
where you are and if you have problems
here, this is where you’re going to get
them fixed. We are really lucky to have
a place like Community Hospital.”
His wife, Debra, was born to immigrant
parents who survived concentration
camps and pursued the second-hand
and, ultimately, luxury apparel business
in Los Angeles. Debra followed in their
retail footsteps and also learned from
them that true luxury is living in a free
country, and that it warrants giving back.
Longtime generous supporters of
Community Hospital, the couple recently
funded acquisition of a colorful ceramic
triptych by local artist Sally Russell for
the swimming pavilion at the hospital’s
Peninsula Wellness Center.
“Community Hospital is the crown jewel,
such an asset of this community,” says
George. “In getting involved in the
hospital, it is almost impossible to
do something good for others and not
do something good for yourself.
Whatever you earn in your lifetime is
what you earn. But what you give
defines your life. We’ve been given this
great hospital by past donors. We need
to maintain and pass it on to future
generations. To the extent we do that,
we define ourselves as a community.”
Despite considerable personal
and professional success, each has
maintained a humble heart while
developing a generous spirit.
. . . humble hearts
and generous spirits
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
7
Women’s Forum for Health . . . Thinking Ahead
curriculum and the tools for nurses
to address the needs of the elderly,
who are at greater risk for health
complications as they age.
Eat smart — Whatever is heart healthy
is brain healthy. And minimize alcohol
consumption, which can impair learning
and memory.
“More than 70 percent of our inpatients
are over the age of 65,” Packer says.
“To better serve this large and growing
population, we are committed to
providing nurses with training in practices
shown to ensure quality care, improve
outcomes, and increase satisfaction, yet
we have no way to fund this program
other than through philanthropy.”
Live with your brain in mind —
Get a good night’s sleep, reduce the daily
juggle of tasks and activities, watch your
step, and pay attention to potential side
effects of medications.
Luncheon guests were invited to make a
contribution during the event; donations
are welcomed throughout the year.
The luncheon’s guest speaker was
Cynthia R. Green, PhD, a nationally
recognized expert on memory fitness
and brain health. Green has served on
the faculty of the Mount Sinai School of
Medicine and the Mount Sinai Medical
Center since 1990 and published articles
and books on brain health, including,
“Brain Power Game Plan.”
Women’s Forum for Health featured speaker Cynthia R. Green, PhD, nationally recognized
expert on memory fitness and brain health.
I
n October, some 350 local women
gathered at Community Hospital’s
annual Women’s Forum for Health
luncheon at Spanish Bay in Pebble
Beach. Welcomed by co-chairs Laurie
Benjamin and Mae Johnson, the women
enjoyed a healthy meal and each other’s
company, and celebrated an opportunity
to raise awareness and money for health
issues that affect women and their
families. To date, they’ve raised $93,000
and are committed to raising more.
Last year’s donations reached $38,000
in support of the Sherry Cockle Fund,
which provides free screening mammograms to women who can’tafford them.
Foundation
Advisory
Board
The Foundation Advisory Board
assists hospital leaders in securing
philanthropic support to forward
the mission of Community Hospital.
(Left to right) William Tyler, David
Benjamin, Steven Packer, MD,
president/CEO, Bertie Bialek Elliott,
George Couch, Ian Arnof, Stephen
Schulte, and Don Lucas.
“Among the 20 women who have
since received a screening mammogram
through this fund,” says Community
Hospital CEO Dr. Steven Packer, “one
breast cancer case was diagnosed.
Without this free screening, its detection
would otherwise have been highly
unlikely. These funds will support
screening mammograms for women
in need through the next five years.”
This year’s contributions will support
the Nurses Improving Care of Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) program. One of
just 450 hospitals across the country
certified to implement NICHE, Community
Hospital is providing a comprehensive
“This is an incredible time to understand
how the brain works and reduce brain
disease,” she says. “Baby boomers are
living 22 years longer than the previous
generation, which has necessitated an
increased investment by the government
in the science of brain health. And we
want to take charge, to be proactive
about our brain health.”
She offered nine steps healthy people
can take to improve cognitive function
and brain fitness, particularly memory
and processing speed. She suggested
focusing on at least three.
Aerobic exercise — Increase blood
and oxygen flow to the brain, improve
the physiology of the brain, and enhance
intellectual function through exercise.
Sharpen your skills — Focus attention
and attach significance to what you
wish to remember. Practice internal
memory techniques, such as storytelling,
repetition, linking ideas, rhyming, and
visualization.
Stretch your mind — Intellectual
engagement lowers the risk or delays
the onset of dementia. Participate in
cognitive leisure activities such as playing
a musical instrument, traveling, reading,
or learning a new language.
Strategize — The best way to
remember what you need to do, what
was said, and where things are is to
get organized.
Socialize — Interacting with others
helps exercise intellectual skills, and
creates opportunities to think quickly,
pay attention, be flexible, share new
experiences, learn, and maintain
emotional stability.
Keep emotionally balanced —
Stress has a direct impact on mental
or intellectual performance, which can
lead to memory problems
Believe in yourself — “Henry Ford
said, ‘If you think you can do a thing,
or you think you can’t do a thing, you’re
right.’ The last thing you want to do,”
Green says, “is tell yourself you have
a bad memory.”
Community Hospital Foundation Legacy
8
row (left to right) Erling Lagerholm, Francie Blinks, Mel Fortes, Byrl Smith, Claudia Link, Bill and Margi Wiest
Pinnacle AWARDS dinnerTop
Bottom row (left to right) Lien Nguyen, Dr. Donald Goldman, Stephen and Patsy Schulte, Jane Panatonni, Bob Nelson, Rebecca Heiser
row (left to right) Sherrie McCullough, Cindy McGillen, Demi Briscoe, Penny Morris, Jane Paun, Betty Kasson
Women’s
Forum for Health Top
Bottom row (left to right) Cynthia Green, Susan Lansbury, Bertie Bialek Elliott, Tara Hahl, Joanne Storkan, Christine Factor